John B. Breckinridge

John Bayne Breckinridge (November 29, 1913 – July 29, 1979) was an American politician, a Democrat who served as Attorney General of Kentucky twice and also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Kentucky.

Early life Breckinridge was born in the District of Columbia on November 29, 1913. His father was Dr. Scott Dudley Breckinridge Sr. and his mother was Gertrude Ashby (née Bayne) Breckinridge. His father was a fencer who competed in the 1912 Summer Olympics, and was a gynecologist in Lexington.

The Breckinridge family has been one of Kentucky's most prominent. John B.'s grandfather was Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr. and his great-uncle was John C. Breckinridge, who was vice president under James Buchanan, the Southern Democratic nominee for president in 1860 and a major general in the Confederate Army. Among John B.'s uncles were Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Jr., an officer in the United States Navy during the Spanish–American War, and Henry Skillman Breckinridge, who served as the United States Assistant Secretary of War under President Woodrow Wilson. He was the great-great-grandson of John Breckinridge, who had served as the second Attorney General of Kentucky and in the Kentucky House of Representatives and who also served as a member of the United States Senate and as Attorney General of the United States. John B. Breckinridge was also the great-nephew of William Campbell Preston Breckinridge who also represented Kentucky in the United States House of Representatives.

Political career Breckinridge was twice elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives from the 49th district and served from 1956 to 1959. His ashes were interred at Lexington Cemetery.

Legacy As a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives, Breckinridge was regarded as an independent moderate.

Electoral history